Opening Statement:
"I think if you've been in this business as long as I have been in it, you're on both sides of the game like this. I told Leon Rice that his kids played so hard that I know how they feel and how you feel. It's easy for the winning coach to say that, but I meant it. I tried to say that to some of their players. The last guy I saw was (Anthony) Drmic and he had kind of a sad smile on his face. He said, `Coach, that's three in a row that you've done that on us.' Not quite the same fashion, but we've played them four times and we've beaten them four times. Three of them have been almost as dramatic as that. They missed a three a year ago at the buzzer to win in our building. We hit a three tonight. We found a way to win. I'm happy for Chase (Tapley). I'm happy for our team. Tapley has got the wrist still really bothering him. We had the ball out of bounds with a minute or two to go and we were going to try to run a line to get a three. I wanted to get (Tapley) to shoot it, and he said, `Run it for Rahon. He's made all the threes.' So it was fitting that the ball would pop out to him and he'd have a three that he did make to allow us to win the game tonight. We've got to be thankful."

Lessons from the game:
"I think what everyone talks about is you never ever, ever quit playing hard. No league is safe. As bad as it looks, if you compete, you've got a chance. I think the lesson you learn is play hard and sometimes you can get a little lucky. We did both."

On fans leaving early:
"I did not notice (fans leaving early). I know our students didn't leave. I heard them. I rarely hear what they say, but I heard them say, `Stand up, stand up.' They have been great. I think that is universal. I think that is at every sport and every level. That doesn't bother me. I think that is just the way it is. If I had a son or daughter that's in grammar school or junior high that I brought to the game, I might have snuck out early too."

On James Rahon:
"James (Rahon) made some big baskets for us. He's a fifth year senior. He can score the ball. You have to say and really believe that every shot you make is going to go in. That's what really good shooters do. They miss 10 in a row and they shoot the next one like they just made 10 in a row. So I was happy for him. He missed the first one and made about four in a row after that. He got us going out of the gate."

On escaping with a victory after blowing a 17-pt lead:
"Yeah, I feel like we escaped but it's college basketball. A lot of teams could win by 17 but in good leagues, you don't keep 17 point leads. A lot of fans get down on us when we lose but the big schools lose. Arkansas beat Florida, did we expect that? I always say it's about our teammates and our coaching staff. People will probably doubt us for this win, that we barely won at home against Boise State but I think Boise State is an underrated team. Last year, they took us the same way. I had to have a game winner and we had to have a game winner today. They had the last shot today and just missed it. You can't take college basketball lightly. A 17 point lead is a good thing to have but this is not the NBA. This is college basketball. Everybody's ready to play and playing on all cylinders."

On whether or not every game is critical to get to the tournament:
"We can't worry about the tournament. We have to take it one game at a time. If we look ahead and start worrying about when we have to go to Colorado State, we won't get through Fresno State. We have to go one step at a time. We got through Boise State, now the next step is Fresno State and after that is Colorado State. That's how we keep going on. We appreciate the fans of State supporting us showing their loyalty. A lot of people thought we were going to lose that game besides us. We stuck together as a family like we always do. Brothers side by side, coaches side by side and we got that win."

On embracing (Derrick) Marks after the game after the game:
"I always embrace everybody. (Derrick) Marks is a really good player and as you see, he brought them back in this game. (Derrick) Marks is only a sophomore now so next year and the years after that, he's going to be scary for the conference tournament because he's a good player. I salute (Derrick) Marks and Boise State staff because they are really good players."

On whether he was going to shoot at the end or not:
"I was trying to get to the basket and get them to call a foul or score a layup like I did the previous play. Like Chase (Tapley) said, I went to the rack and they collapsed on me and I didn't even notice. The whole team was already by the basket when I was going there and luckily the ball came out. Chase is a great shooter, probably one of the best shooters on this team. He made the shot."

On finding other ways to contribute:
"My role on the team is just to do what it takes to win. It's not always every night where I come in and have 25 but if it's a night where I need to have two points and 15 rebounds, I'm willing to do that. If it's a night where I can't have a point or rebound, I have to make sure I'm locking down the best player and contributing to my team."

On the game-winning shot:
"Jamaal (Franklin) was coming down court at full speed, like the (previous) play. I got down there and Anthony Drmic held on to the ball. I thought they were going to call a jump ball but it kind of rolled out. I grabbed it and did a pass-fake to Jamaal then just shot it with the most confidence. It was either going to go in or go out so I just followed through and it went in. They had a nice shot at the end but it didn't go in, so I am happy that we got the win."

On his wrist and health:
"I was feeling good. My wrist is fine and I am doing great now that we got the victory."

On making the winning shot:
"That was my first winning shot in my college career and it came at the right time. I am just happy that we got the win. Everybody contributed today. James Rahon was finding shots and made it easier for everybody else. That was what we needed and what we are going to continue to strive for. It was an exciting game winner. We were relieved because we did not stop. ... We just knew that we had each other's backs. We had people to my right (Jamaal Franklin and James Rahon) and the locker room. It was a wonderful feeling."

On San Diego State's ability to keep calm:
"We have a lot of veterans on this team. We have been there before. We have been up by a lot and down so we have been there in crunch time. We stay poised and talk to each other and just get after it on the next play."

On his play today:
"My shot was feeling good today. My teammates found me a couple times in the first half. Everyone found me and it was nice to get out of a little shooting slump. It was a good win tonight. I am feeling good about my play tonight."

Boise State Head Coach Leon Rice

Opening statement:
"I'm very proud of the way my guys hung in there. We knew we were going to have to weather the storm as far as how hard San Diego State plays and how good defensively they are. It just seemed like we missed a lot of layups, and that's how (SDSU) got that 17-point lead. But we hung in there and made up the deficit. We were right there at the end, but (Chase) Tapley made a big play."

On limiting Jamaal Franklin to 14 points:
"All of our guys battled. We limited (SDSU's) opportunities at the free-throw line. But like I said, we did a great job of coming back and putting ourselves in a position to win."

On the final play of the game:
"It went right to Tapley. We did a great job of cutting off Franklin going to the basket. It was a loose ball, and I think (Franklin) knocked it out. It just seemed like the clock ran forever. It went to Tapley, and he's a big-shot maker. What's crazy is Mikey (Thompson) raced the ball up the court really well (with time running out). That's as good of a look as you're going to get there."

Boise state guard Mikey Thompson

On his individual performance:
"My coaches just tell me to be aggressive on both ends (of the court) and make plays for us to compete in games like this."

On his final shot with time running out:
"When Tapley made the shot, I knew we had to get the ball up (the court). I knew I had to get at least close to the basket. I dribbled two times because I know I'm quick and get up the floor. I just threw it up close to the rim so hopefully it would go in, but I saw it hit the backboard and roll out. That just hurt right there."

On starting compared to coming off the bench:
"It's a lot different, because you have to come out ready to play. Every team we play is out to beat us. For me to start, I have to be aggressive from the get-go so we don't get behind by a big deficit."

On where Boise State needs to improve in the second half of MW play:
"I wouldn't say we need to get better, we just need to keep playing together and play the way we can like we did in the beginning of the season and against teams like (SDSU). We've got to play better defense and keep our poise. We want to play `our' game, not `their' game."